The jury is always out on fruitcake -- with strong opinions con and pro -- but eggnog seems to be a much less controversial component of holiday feasts.

Rich and creamy, it can work as a dessert substitute or, with a shot of brandy or cognac, as a cocktail to round off dinner.

The origin of the beverage is cloudy, but it seems to have started as a wintertime favorite of wealthy Brits in the 1700s who drank it warm, mixed with liquor to prevent the milk and eggs from spoiling. The American colonists liked the stuff, too, but tended to use less expensive booze, such as rum.

By the 19th century, eggnog was commonly served at winter holiday parties, where it became established as a Christmas tradition.

Even if you don't like to drink eggnog, the mixture of milk, eggs, cream and sugar can be put to almost countless other uses as a major cooking ingredient.

Cookbooks and dairy websites are packed with recipes for using eggnog to make delicious pies and cakes. The late great Delaware food writer Elaine Mitchell came up with a cake recipe for leftover eggnog that I looked forward to every year in my young reporter days (recipe to follow).

Two regional food giants, Stew Leonard's in Connecticut and New York, and Stewart's Shops in New York State and Vermont, make their own (secret recipe) eggnog that customers look forward to every year.

"We will sell almost 26,000 half-gallons of eggnog between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve," Stew Leonard's spokeswoman Katina Loomis noted last week of the regular and "light" products.

Jim Norton, the dairy plant manager at Stewart's, told me that the regional chain of convenience stores sells more than 300,000 units of its eggnog in both quarts and 16-ounce sizes during the holiday season.

In my humble opinion, Hood puts out one of the best commercial eggnogs and this year the dairy company has added a limited edition Caramel Eggnog to its line (the company offers lots of breakfast and dessert recipes using the product online at www.Hood.com).

Recently at the Norwalk Stew Leonard's store, chef Michael Luboff demonstrated a recipe for an eggnog cheese pie that can be made quickly, but "looks like you spent the whole day making it."

"It's pretty impressive when you watch it bake up like a souffle," he said.

"One of the great things about eggnog is that you can get really creative with it," the chef said.

"You can manipulate it into a million different things," Luboff noted, adding that thickened eggnog is very tasty as a dessert fondue with pieces of cake used for dipping.

Although many dairies only make eggnog for the holiday season, Stewart's sells it year 'round, in both regular and light versions (240 calories per half-cup of the regular, 140 calories for the same serving size of light eggnog).

"It's one of our signature items," Norton said of Stewart's eggnog, adding that there is "a great eggnog French toast recipe on the quart carton."

"A lot of our customers like using eggnog in their coffee."

Easy Eggnog Cheese Pie

2 (9-inch) pie shells

2 1/4 cups regular or light eggnog

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 pounds (3 8-ounce packages) regular or light cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a blender. Pulse on high until smooth. Pour the mixture into two nine-inch deep pie shells. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Cool and serve with whipped cream and a dollop of cranberry sauce.

-- From chef Michael Luboff

Cooked Eggnog

Lightly cooking this eggnog kills any possibly dangerous bacteria in the eggs. Do not double this recipe.

Transfer the egg mixture to a large, heavy saucepan and place over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes a little thicker than heavy cream (about 175 degrees). Do not overheat or mixture will curdle. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the reserved milk and cream. Pour through a strainer into a storage container. Chill thoroughly, uncovered, then stir in optional liquor.

Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours or up to three days. Serve sprinkled with freshly grated or ground nutmeg.

-- From "The Joy of Cooking"

Elaine Mitchell's Eggnog Cake

1 package yellow cake mix (2-layer size)

1 cup eggnog

1/4 cup cooking oil

3 eggs

2 tablespoons rum or 1 teaspoon rum extract

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (more if you especially like it)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9- or 10-inch tube pan (fluted if you have one). Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. With electric mixer, blend ingredients, then beat two minutes, until thoroughly combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 45 to 50 minutes. When cake is cooled, glaze with a mixture of confectioners' sugar mixed with enough eggnog to make desired consistency. For festive look, decorate with walnut halves and candied cherry halves, or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar instead of glazing.